For All the Waiting I've Had to Do
by Summer Potter
Summary: Harry and Ginny begin to realize that life has been getting in the way of their relationship. As many relationships end on this common issue, they struggle to overcome it. Lucky that Harry has an idea on how to alleviate the tension. Pure fluff & post DH.
1. Chapter 1: Ginny

Ginny found herself staring into the candles that sat on the coffee table, losing herself in the flicker of light in the dim room. Outside, the wind whipped and the rain poured in a terrible storm. She sat still, her hands lightly placed on her knees as she waited, physically exhausted, but excited that after two weeks, she'd finally have the night to relax with Harry.

Since it'd been so long since they'd had time alone together, Ginny figured to go the extra mile. She'd raced home after Quidditch practice to shower, tidy her flat, and then to get a little dressed up. Her income had allowed her to splurge on a revealing black negligee that she knew Harry would go crazy for. She'd also spent some time curling her hair for the sexy tousle look she'd seen in magazines, and put on a little makeup. Currently, she wore a house robe over her outfit, and sat in the living room with the lights dimmed out with only candles to provide light.

While she loved her little flat that was about an hour south of London, it did have the unfortunate quality of not being closer to Harry, who lived closer to Hogsmeade in his own flat, where he commuted to the Ministry to work for the Aurors with Ron. Ron and Hermione lived in a London muggle subdivision, much to the delight of her father who would make excuses to visit them, just to wander about to watch the muggles operate their lawnmowers or weed-whackers.

Still, with how Harry and Ginny's schedules were progressively getting busier, it made for a depressing life at home. If she was at home, Harry was often still working, and if he had time off, Ginny was stuck on the Quidditch pitch. They owled each other frequently during these long breaks apart, but it obviously wasn't the same. It was so difficult to see each other privately and have quality time to work on the relationship when they were both so busy. And truth be told, it made Ginny a little paranoid.

Not that Harry would ever do anything to hurt her, she knew. But still… she'd been to enough of Harry's Auror socials and ceremonies to know that there were a few female witches in or around the department who had an eye for him. And with the amount of hours he was at work, and not with her, let alone in contact with her made Ginny feel uneasy.

That was partly why tonight was so important. She was so tired of not seeing him for weeks on end that she felt she needed to remind him that he still had a girlfriend at home that loved him very much, and who still wanted to make time for them. She could tell he was feeling the strain of their separation as well. He'd even expressed several complaints on their not seeing each other. The last thing she could take was if he decided they needed to press pause on-

You're being paranoid, Ginny.

Ginny shook her head, and reclined back on her sofa as she closed her eyes, remembering how long it had taken them to re-establish their relationship after the war. It had been almost two years ago that Harry had defeated Voldemort, and almost two years ago that Harry had simply grabbed her and kissed her in a way that left her both weak at the knees and shell-shocked from the sheer emotion behind it.

It had taken nearly forty-eight hours for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come round to consciousness after sleeping off their exhausting search for the Horcruxes. It had nearly killed Ginny to give them their privacy and let them sleep. So many times she'd debated sneaking into Harry and Ron's dormitory to slip into bed with Harry and falling asleep next to him. She'd held back of course, fearing to wake him or force him to jump into something that he wasn't ready for.

And so she'd taken things slowly with Harry. Smiling at him, being friendly, being there to play chess with him, or to just sit and talk with him. And then, one particular night on the Hogwarts grounds, after a long day of helping to get Hogwarts back into some kind of order, Ginny and Harry had found themselves on the Quidditch pitch, brooms in hand. They'd flown around for at least an hour, tossing the Quaffle back and forth. This was night that Ginny knew that there was hope for Harry. She'd worried that he'd be so emotionally and mentally destroyed by the past few years that the idea of a normal life might be too much for him.

But no, he'd actually cracked a few jokes, laughed with her, and became… just Harry again. There was more light in his eyes when he was up on a broom, which made Ginny so happy that she felt she could cry in relief. Harry was going to be okay.

They'd landed their brooms in the middle of the pitch, discussing their plan to head to the kitchens to see if they could get a late-night snack. A silence fell as they walked across the dark pitch. The only sounds to be heard were their shoes on the grass, their brooms brushing against their legs, and the sound of their cloaks swishing.

Ginny had caught Harry's expression from the corner of her eye and it puzzled her. He looked… unsure. His eyes met hers, and she felt her heart jolt in her chest at his intense expression.

"Don't be mad," he blurted, slowing to pause next to her.

"Mad at what?" She'd asked, feeling suddenly uneasy about what he could have possibly done and didn't want her to be mad at.

He didn't answer. He dropped his broom at his side and then leaned in and kissed her. Ginny was frozen at first, but it took only a moment for her realize what was happening. His hands rested on her waist, holding her in place as his lips moved over hers in a passionate kiss that was all too familiar and yet, was completely new. Harry was kissing her with an emotion much deeper than a simple attraction or lust, but at the time, she hadn't been able to identify just what it was.

As her arms slid around his neck, she stepped closer and Harry's arms tightened around her waist in response. A sound of pleasure slipped out as he kissed her. The kiss lasted a few minutes before the reality of what was happening began to sink in and she smiled against his mouth. Sensing her sudden change in focus, he pulled back slightly to search her face.

"Was that not-" he began to ask in a breathless voice, but she kissed him quickly to silence him before pulling back, her smile unrepentant on her face.

"Sorry… I just… realized you were kissing me and it made me happy," she answered with a shrug, stepping back. She knew her face was bright pink, and inside, she was cursing herself for interrupting him kissing her. She'd waited far too long for this chance, and then she'd gone and messed it up.

He dropped his hands, raising an eyebrow, though he began to grin at her too. "Glad you clued in to what I was doing then," he replied teasingly. "But perhaps I need to kiss you more to get more practice. It worries me that I'm so out of the habit that you can't tell if I'm kissing you or not."

She playfully swatted at him and picked up her broom that she'd sub-consciously dropped when he'd kissed her. "That's not what I meant, Harry. It just… caught me off-guard."

She began to walk again, thinking he was following her, but she paused a few feet away when she realized he hadn't followed. "What?" She asked, the wind tossing her cloak in the night air. She pushed the hair from her face and waited for him to respond or move.

"I've thought about very little else besides that for a few days now. I just wasn't sure how you were going to react," he blurted worriedly. "Then I kiss you, and it's everything and more than what I remembered and what I wanted…" he ran a hand through his tousled hair in frustration, looking at her with a flustered expression.

"Gin, I've been through too much to really have any energy to be able to analyze how you're feeling, let alone know what you're feeling for me. I need a long time before I'll be able to know who I am outside of everything that we've been through with Voldemort. I just… I need to know… what you want… what you felt… what you're feeling, because I don't think I can bear it to spend all night wondering whether or not that kiss was out of line, or whether you've wanted it too."

He paused for a quick breath and then barrelled on. His honesty floored her, and it was all she could do to stand there and listen to him pour his heart out.

"So I'm not going to play games… I've waited too long for the chance to have a life, and I don't think there's anyone else I want to experience that with. Mostly because I don't think anyone could actually understand, or put up with me, or anything. No one knows me like you do… and aside from my good friends… Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna... you… and a few others… I don't think anyone looks at me like I'm just me."

He took a few steps forward, pausing so that they were still a fair distance apart. His eyes searched her face for the answer he wanted, and she wasn't even sure if he was seeing what he wanted to see. There was no question of what she wanted- it was Harry. It would always be Harry.

"So can we just skip the whole… awkward… games thing. I know what I want, and it's you. If you don't want that too, then that's okay, but I'd like to know now so I don't act like a git for months on end."

Ginny didn't pause. She was happy to not waste time, to not beat around the bush when it came to him. He was right about everything, and besides it was easier this way. And so she crossed the distance between them and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster as her heart hammered a fast, uneven rhythm in her chest.

She pulled back only to lean her forehead against his. "I don't want to wait around for you either. I've spent years doing that already."

"You'll be my girlfriend again?" He murmured to her, his lips close to her own.

"I think I've always been yours, Harry. Even when you left… I was always…" she paused to swallow the lump in her throat. Thinking about Harry and his search for the Horcruxes wasn't a time she liked to remember. "Waiting for you to come back…"

He kissed her lightly and then took her hand boldly with a confident smile. She smiled back at him and together they left the Quidditch pitch together.

Thinking back on this night had often got Ginny through many long, lonely nights. Harry wasn't overly romantic or even spontaneously romantic, but this moment was so spontaneous, so wonderful, that it kept her confident in the strength of their relationship. That even after a year of being apart, that they could still just move on as if they'd never been separated.

Nothing had changed much after that night. They picked up where they'd left off, though with a much more steady and comfortable pace. It was nice to know that they had time to learn about the other outside of Hogwarts, and outside of the war. While Hermione and Ron carried on as they always did- bickering with adoration in their eyes, Harry and Ginny were quick to fall into their own pattern.

Although, that wasn't to say that tempers didn't get in the way, or that they never got fed up with each other. There had been plenty of fights, plenty of yelling, but there were more good times than the bad.

A knock at the door startled her from her thoughts and she jumped to her feet, her heart already beating too fast, and a smile already on her face. She was just as excited to see him as she was when she fifteen years old. It was ridiculous that she always lit up like this whenever Harry was around, but this time she just didn't care. Harry was here, and she hadn't seen the man in two weeks. To hell with looking foolish when she missed him!

She flung the door open and kissed him before he could even say hello. He chuckled against her mouth and kissed her back with just as much gusto, just as happy to see her as she was for him. The kiss ended and Ginny pulled back, noticing that Harry was actually dripping wet from the storm.

"Harry, you're soaked!" She squeaked, realizing that the front of her robe was now wet.

He nodded and immediately pulled off his shoes. "I'll do a drying spell. It'll be fine."

"I hope you don't get sick," she muttered worriedly, moving aside to admit him so she could close the door on the storm outside.

As soon as he'd hung up his cloak and removed his shoes and socks, he performed a quick drying spell on the rest of him. Once he was relatively dried off, he picked her up again and kissed her hard.

"Blimey, I've missed you," he told her happily between kisses.

"I missed you too," she managed to say.

He set her down and cupped her face in his hands. "These two weeks were ridiculous," he told her sadly. "I'm sorry I've been so busy. I know you've been taking it kind of hard."

Ginny blinked at him in confusion. "Who told you I was taking it hard?"

He looked suddenly guilty at this admission. "Sorry… erm, Hermione told me."

Ginny rolled her eyes, her cheeks pink. She had always made it a general rule to never let Harry know how hard these long-term separations were on her sometimes. She never wanted him to feel guilty for working, especially since he loved what he did.

"I'm fine, Harry, honestly. If I said that, it was probably just a bad day," she replied coolly, hoping to just blow past this.

Harry shrugged with a troubled expression. "Gin, it's been bothering me too. In fact, I've been thinking a lot about it lately."

Ginny rubbed her arms, a prickling feeling in her chest had washed over her, which was mostly just a result of her foolish paranoia eating away at her. She shrugged and pulled him forward, out of the entryway.

"Come on… we can talk about that later. I've missed you! Can I get you some wine?"

"Wine sounds good," he agreed. "But Gin, I think we really do need to talk about that," he added seriously. "This keeps happening…"

Ginny kept her back to him as she lifted too wine glasses off the shelf and grabbed the bottle of red wine from the counter, keeping a poker face when she finally turned around to pour glasses of wine. As she uncorked the bottle, she didn't see Harry subconsciously check his pocket, nor did she notice his uneasy expression as he watched her pour the wine.

This is going to be painful, she thought miserably. 


	2. Chapter 2: Harry

Harry-

Harry and Ron left the board room in a stream of fellow Aurors after their final meeting of the week. Ron yawned sleepily and checked his watch for about the tenth time these past few minutes.

"Only half hour until we can clock out," Ron said gloomily. "I hope I make it. I think I could about pass out on my desk."

"Why are you so tired?" Harry asked as they wound their way down the halls and back into the main offices to take their seats at their respective desks.

"Hermione has been working late and leaving early again. I can't help waking up every time… it's exhausting."

"You should get a better mattress," Harry suggested as they wedged into their double cubicle to take his seat.

Ron's desk was behind his own in the same enclosed space. He dropped into his own seat and rubbed his eyes, blinking blearily.

"I should… or maybe Hermione can charm ours so that it doesn't creak and move on my side of the bed."

"Or get separate beds?" Harry suggested innocently, to which Ron rolled his eyes.

"I don't think we've slept apart much since after the war, mate. We just… got used to it, I suppose. It'd be weird to be apart again." He made a face and then chuckled. "It's like we're already married, I suppose."

"Don't tell Hermione that," Harry advised teasingly. "She'll start getting those ideas you're so worried about."

Ron grunted in acknowledgement and Harry chuckled. Ron's biggest fear lately was that Hermione would start pushing for a ring, ever since Ron had overheard her parents asking Hermione if Ron had mentioned any possibility of marriage in their future. Harry knew that Ron would marry her someday, but he also suspected that he wouldn't do it until he could support her financially. While being an Auror brought in a good income, he was also paying rent and paying off the high cost of living in London.

"George tells me that women talk about it to each other," Ron added after a long moment. "Maybe I should ask Ginny if Hermione is looking for a proposal anytime soon."

"If they are talking about it, I doubt Ginny would tell you," Harry replied, turning to a huge stack of paperwork on his desk in regards to his latest arrest made of a Death Eater. "Besides, Hermione wouldn't push you, Ron. She'd rather you figure it out on your own."

Harry was sure about this. If Hermione was looking for Ron to propose at some point in the near-future, Harry could see a fight breaking out between them that would be related to what Hermione might refer to as 'a fear of commitment' and being 'exceptionally thick sometimes.' And Ron would retort that he had no idea what she wanted him to do, but meanwhile, he'd be thinking about getting a ring to make her happy, which would be what he wanted all along. Harry smiled to himself, thinking how predictable his two best friends were as a couple.

"What about Ginny?" Ron asked abruptly, turning around in his chair.

"What about her?" Harry asked coolly.

"You think she wants you to propose? I half-expected you would as soon as you got your life in order. You know… your own place, lots of gold, lots of time, and no more psychotic wizards out to get you."

"I don't know if she wants it," Harry replied quietly so that the passersby and the surrounding occupants of the other cubicles couldn't hear. "But Hermione tells me that since we're both working long hours, Ginny is worried about us. Something about how we don't see each other enough, and that she's afraid I'll want to break it off."

Ron frowned. "Why? It's not your fault that you've got to work… and she's training for the season…"

"Weasley! Potter! I need your paperwork in my dropbox in forty minutes!" Barked their superior, James Lidden, who paused at their cubicle. "Come on, boys, less chatting and more writing!"

Harry and Ron turned back to their work without a word and waited until he'd left for them before turning their chairs enough for them to have a conversation while still working. Harry heard Ron mutter a curse at Lidden, who was always on their case about getting the paperwork in on time. Harry speculated that he spent so much time making sure that everyone else was doing their paperwork that he never got his own done.

"I know, there's no reason for her to worry, but the few times I've seen her, it's always been with other people. I guess she's worrying we're drifting," Harry admitted with concern.

"That's ridiculous. It's not like you'd leave her for another witch!" Ron scribbled across the paper he was working on before he paused and glanced back at Harry suspiciously. "Would you?"

Harry made an exasperated sound at Ron. "Of course not! Why would I ever want to leave her? She's perfect and-"

Ron held up his hands, shaking his head. "You don't need to go there, Harry. Honestly, I get enough of how 'cute' you two are from Hermione who runs a happy commentary the second you two apparate away. And you basically live together already... I can just imagine how much you like my little sister."

Harry grinned again. "Lucky for me, you actually like me. I'd hate to see the bloke who would have ended up with Ginny have to face you when he told you he wanted to marry your sister."

Ron nodded, his expression darkening. "It wouldn't be a pretty picture," he agreed grimly.

Harry and Ron worked for several minutes in silence. The muted chatter around them began to fall quieter as the other Aurors scrambled to get their paperwork done by the due-date. After three or four minutes, Harry had set down his first completed report and then spun his chair around to look at Ron.

"By the way… this is me telling you I'm going to ask your sister to marry me."

It was all Harry could do not to laugh at Ron who nearly knocked over his bottle of ink as he whipped around, dropping his quill on his lap. A large ink stain formed immediately on his right leg.

"What?" Ron gasped, his eyes wide and his mouth open.

Harry chuckled, but knew that he was right about the best way to let Ron know was just by blurting it. "And soon. I've thought a lot of about it, but this is the only way I know how to fix things." He thought for a moment, before revising and saying, "Well, fix in the sense that there's nothing wrong, but if Ginny wants to hear that we're still good, and moving forward, then I'd say this is a good way."

"You want to marry her?" Ron repeated, shocked.

Harry nodded, his expression sincere. "Yeah… I've been thinking about it for a while now. It's right for us, but it's scary, mate. I don't know what I'll do if she says no."

Ron seemed to find his tongue as he asked, "Does Hermione know?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's one-track mind. "No, I told you first. Well… aside from your Dad. I asked him." Harry grinned sheepishly. "Thought I should do this traditionally."

To Harry's surprise, Ron clapped him on the back with a grin, the tips of his ears pink. "I'm happy for you, mate."

Harry stared at him, a little startled that Ron had reacted so well. "What? No threatening big brother speech or awkwardness?"

Ron laughed and shook his head. "No… I'll save the threatening big brother speech for the day you have to stand at the altar."

Ron and Harry shared a small laugh at that before Harry reached into his desk drawer. "Want to see the ring?"

"You got a ring already?" Ron asked in amazement. "When are you popping the question?"

Harry shrugged. "Honestly, I've got no clue. I got it just in case, I guess." Harry pulled a small blue box from the top drawer and gave it to Ron. "Keep in mind, if you tell her, I will curse you."

Ron ignored the threat and opened the blue box, gaping at the ring inside. Nestled in the soft black fabric, sat a platinum band with a large round diamond perched on top. On either side of it sat two smaller, pear-shaped diamonds.

"Did you empty your Gringotts vault for this, mate?"

Harry didn't answer, but smiled at the question. Ron closed the box and glanced at the label before returning it to Harry. "Tiffany's?"

Harry nodded and asked, "Think she'll like it?"

Ron opened his mouth to respond with a joking comment, but instead changed his mind and told him. "Harry, she'll love it. Good luck, mate."

"Thanks."

By the time Harry had finished his paperwork, Ron had already gone home, too hungry to wait around for Harry. It was nearly eight pm when he finally changed out of his Auror robes, gathered his things, and left the Ministry. He had been planning on going home first, but he decided that he didn't want to keep Ginny waiting any longer when he missed her too.

When he apparated to the designated apparating point off the property line, Harry groaned aloud to realize he was in the middle of a torrential downpour. The sky overhead was black from both the storm clouds, and the night sky. Thunder echoed above his head, and lightning cracked through the darkness as he hurried up the path, coming quickly into sight of Ginny's flat.

He could see dim lights behind the curtains of the front windows, and the thought of holding Ginny and being out of the storm made him hurry all the faster. He sloshed through puddles and squished through the mud before he finally made it to the front porch. Once under the safety of the porch roof, he flicked his wand at his shoes to remove the mud and dirt, planning to do a drying spell once inside. He knocked on the door, shivering as he waited for Ginny.

When she pulled open the door, Harry forgot about the cold and about how wet he was. Ginny practically threw herself at him and he caught her, chuckling as her lips met his and he held her to him. There was something in him that felt whole as he held her in his arms and she kissed him. He loved her for her never-ending energy and her passion. He loved that her face lit up when she saw him, and when she kissed him, he forgot the world.

It was a crack of lightning that startled him into remembering where he was. He ended the kiss and she hopped down to the ground, her eyes looking him up and down.

"Harry, you're soaked!" She squeaked, briefly touching her own now-wet robe.

He nodded and immediately pulled off his shoes so he wouldn't track any or leave puddles on her clean floor. "I'll do a drying spell. It'll be fine."

"I hope you don't get sick," she told him, moving aside to let him into the house.

The heat embraced him the second he was inside and he was glad for it. She watched him as he hung up his cloak, remove his socks, and used the drying spell on them before turning his wand to his shirt and pants. Once most of him was dried off, he scooped her up again and kissed her hard.

"Blimey, I've missed you," he told her between kisses. He couldn't remember why he ever left her in these moments when he felt so much more alive when he held her.

"I missed you too," she said happily.

He set her down and cupped her face in his hands. "These two weeks were ridiculous," Harry told her in a sad voice. "I'm sorry I've been so busy. I know you've been taking it kind of hard."

Ginny blinked at him in confusion, folding her arms a little defensively. Harry tried not to smile at her. He knew she tried to be strong for him. She'd been doing it since the war… trying to take it easy with him so he wouldn't get scared off. It was cute.

"Who told you I was taking it hard?" she asked, keeping her voice light.

He looked suddenly guilty at this admission, hoping she wouldn't be upset. "Sorry… Hermione told me."

Ginny rolled her eyes, her cheeks pink. Harry wanted her back in his arms, perhaps on the couch, or if he was lucky, perhaps back in her bedroom where he could hold her and kiss her, and imagine he was able to lie with her forever and never let her go.

"I'm fine, Harry, honestly. If I said that, it was probably just a bad day," she insisted again lightly.

Harry shrugged, knowing it wasn't a big deal, but he wanted her to know that it wasn't just her feeling that way. "Gin, it's been bothering me too. In fact, I've been thinking a lot about it lately."

Harry immediately sense a change in her demeanour. She looked… scared? Ginny rubbed her arms nervously and glanced around behind her into the kitchen before she took his arm and tugged him forward.

"Come on… we can talk about that later. I've missed you! Can I get you some wine?" She asked in a normal voice, but the tone didn't reach her eyes for it to be sincere. Perhaps these feelings were more serious than Hermione had let on. Harry began mentally counting back on how many times they'd gone weeks without spending any quality time together. He didn't like it that he'd already counted enough for one hand, and so he stopped at five times.

"Wine sounds good," he agreed, beginning to feel anxious himself. Was she upset with him or just worried? "But Gin, I think we really do need to talk about that," he added seriously. "This keeps happening…"

She didn't turn around, but kept her back to him as she collected wine glasses and the wine. When she turned, her face was still passive, but he thought he saw her hands shake ever so slightly as she poured the wine. As he watched her, Harry began to wonder if they could discuss their relationship now when she was this nervous about it. He had no idea what had gotten her so paranoid lately. Hermione hadn't said…

He subconsciously brushed his hand against his pocket to ensure the ring was still in there. He'd meant to return it back home after picking it up the other day. It had spent the past few days locked in his desk drawer at work, and he was nervous about carrying such an expensive ring around. Moreover, if it just fell out of his pocket, it would ruin any future plans of surprising her.

He accepted his glass and murmured a thank you. She smiled at him, but again, he could see she was nervous. He frowned and then sighed. "Gin, let's talk."

She nodded, pursing her lips. "Let's head into the living room." She led the way and he followed in silence.

He noticed the room was filled with lit candles that made the light flicker and bounce off the walls. Just when he admired how much time and effort she must have put into this, she flicked on the lights. Right at that moment, Harry felt nervous. Did she think this was going to be a bad conversation? He quickly went over the few minutes he'd spent in the house. They'd kissed, told each other they'd missed each other, gotten wine. What was wrong here?

She sat down on the armchair next to the sofa, which Harry actually chuckled at. She looked up at him sharply when he sat on the sofa next to her, and then patted the seat next to him.

"I haven't seen you in two weeks and you don't want to sit with me?" He asked teasingly. He set his glass of wine down on the coffee table and watched her hesitate for the briefest of moments before she stood and moved to sit next to him.

When she sat and took a drink of wine- perhaps more of a gulp, and then set the glass next to his. Harry raised his eyebrows at her, before he put his arm around her and gently pulled her closer to him. Her body was rigid at first at his touch, but she allowed him to pull her against him.

"Okay," he began quietly. "Talk to me. Why are you acting like I'm here to break up with you?"

Ginny looked up at him, startled. She seemed to mull over his question for a long moment, before she finally spoke up, her voice quivering slightly. "You're not, are you?"

Harry shook his head. "Why would I be? I missed you."

Ginny took another long moment to speak. "We just… it's just been a long time since we've even been together. Things have gotten… strange between us. We don't really see each other anymore."

"Gin, nothing has changed. We're both just busy. I love you… you know that."

She nodded then, her eyes looking a little overly bright as if she might cry. "I love you too. I think I was starting to convince myself that we're just not making any effort anymore. I saw you two weeks ago, and it was with my family before I had to go to practice, and you're so busy…"

"Doesn't mean I don't love you," he reminded her lightly, smiling slightly now. He was pleased that it wasn't as bad as he was starting to think it was. "Honestly, who else would put up with me?"

Ginny actually cracked a smile as she murmured, "I have no idea,"

"Thanks!" He kissed her firmly on the forehead. "You can relax now. I'm not leaving you… unless you plan on seducing me, and then leaving me?"

She jumped slightly in his arms, and sat up, though she kept her hands on his arm. "Who says I'm seducing you?"

He grinned at her, unrepentant. "That little dress-thing you've got on was my first clue."

Ginny glanced down to see that her robe had come open and her breasts were exposed, barely covered by the satin of her negligee. His finger ran down her jaw, her neck, and then ran across her collarbone. He noticed she shuddered ever so slightly under his touch, and he smiled slightly.

"So, let me get this straight. You set out wine, set up all these candles, get all dressed up… but then the second I show up, you have this wild suspicion that I'm here to end things?"

He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then to her neck. He watched her eyelids droop close as he kissed her neck a second time, and she tilted her head to the side to give him better access. She bit her lip, and then smiled, her eyes opening.

"It sounds crazy when you say it like that, but I know… I've been weird lately. But I think I'm just going crazy from not seeing you anymore. Can we please agree that I get to see you at least once a week. I'm done with going weeks on end without seeing you."

He nodded. "Agreed. I'm going crazy too."

She pushed at him playfully and then reached to grab her wine. She tried not to laugh at his expression of mild disappointment that she'd cut his touches and kisses short. She took another sip from her wine before replying to his last comment.

"That's just my little 'dress-thing,'" she explained coyly.

He took his own wine and took a drink before setting it down again. Once her own wine was safely set down, he tugged her closer again, this time to sit on his lap. He reached around her, and tightened her robe before resting his hands around her abdomen.

"Okay, now that I'm not distracted, what's new with you, love?"

Ginny laughed at him and relaxed against his chest, feeling all of her worries melt away from her. This was Harry. Sweet, lovable, dependable Harry, who told her he loved her, and still wanted to be with her. As they lay together on the couch, talking and exchanging the odd kiss and caress, Harry watched Ginny lose the tension surrounding her. Her smiles became wider, her laughs louder.

He had also completely forgotten the ring in his pocket, and when she turned over at one point, her hand skimming over the bulge of his jacket pocket, he held his breath. Luckily, she didn't notice the box in his pocket, and their conversation continued. The more he thought about her discovering the ring and opening it, the more he wanted her to have it. Tonight. He wanted her to know that things were okay. He wanted her to know that he loved her, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted her to know that even if they didn't see each other as often as they'd like, that he still wanted to be with her.

The most depressing thing about his life was returning to his empty home. He hated being home without her. He wanted to come home to her. He wanted to surprise her, and do nice things for her. He wanted to be the man that she'd so patiently waited for all these years- the one who had finally started to come around in the last year.

As Ginny spoke about her latest Quidditch practice, Harry debated on how he wanted to ask her. He didn't want to just blurt it out. He wanted it to be special so that there was no possible way that she'd say no. But how did one do that?

How did a man propose in a way so that she couldn't say no?


	3. Chapter 3: Ginny

**Chapter 3**

A/N: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, nor do I take any credit for the work of JK Rowling. No money was made by the posting of this story.

Ginny-

It was nearly ten pm before she and Harry found themselves in her bedroom. Habit dictated that this was usually the first place they would collapse in, but tonight she was glad that Harry had purposefully wanted to talk first. By the time the kisses had turned serious, she felt as if they'd never been apart. He'd ripped off her robe enthusiastically when he felt her unbuttoning his shirt and sliding her hands across his skin.

He'd scooped her up in his arms and carried her quickly back to her bedroom before slamming the door and sliding on top of her. They made love slowly at first, though Ginny began to get impatient at his determination to soothe her ridiculous worries from earlier. Finally, nearly an hour later, they had collapsed between the sheets in each other's arms.

Ginny loved to see Harry without his glasses. She loved to see his green eyes without the barrier of his glasses, though she did feel bad that he would often sacrifice them when they laid in bed just because he knew she liked it when he took them off. Instead of putting them back on, he had obviously intended to go without them, and so she grabbed them off the table and slid them back on his face.

"Thanks," he said, adjusting them on his nose.

"It's sweet that you're willing to be blind just for me," she teased him, rolling on top of him, and folding her arms on his chest to rest her head on them.

"I should think about contacts…" he said thoughtfully, lifting his arms to encircle her waist.

"Maybe… but I'd love you either way." She kissed him again, practically exuberant that she no longer felt nervous about how he felt for her. It was nice to have that lifted… in fact, the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she was that she'd thought it in the first place.

"So this is my idea," she said thoughtfully. "We need to get better at submitting our availabilities so that we can make time for each other. At least once a week… if I can even see you for an hour, I don't think I'd start going crazy again."

Harry nodded firmly. "I like your idea… if we see each other a little more it'll take off the edge."

Ginny kissed him. "It will. I'm sorry I've been a bit crazy. It's just that we've been together for almost two years… we need to see each other more if this is going to work out."

Harry kissed her gently. "It will work out as long as we both want it too."

"I know… it's just… hard to see yourself with someone in the future if you barely see them in the present."

He gently eased her up into a sitting position and touched her cheek gently. "If you only understood that leaving you isn't an option."

Ginny sighed at those words, allowing the honesty of them to wash over her. She decided that she was done with allowing her paranoia to get the best of her. She knew that she had to accept that for now, seeing each other was difficult, but that it would get better. Of course it would get better.

"Are you hungry?" She asked abruptly, remembering that she'd prepared chocolate fondue and bought strawberries for an extra treat for the two of them in an attempt to be the most romantic and dedicated girlfriend she could be.

"Yeah, I could eat something," he agreed. "Want some help?"

"No," she replied. "Just stay here, I'll be back in a second."

She was about to hop off the bed, but she paused, before leaning in to kiss him briefly. She grabbed her robe off the floor where she'd tossed it, and pulled it back on, tying the sash as she went. She headed into the kitchen and got the strawberries from the fridge to set them in a bowl. Once they were cleaned, she went to the cupboard to fetch the bars of milk chocolate that she'd bought.

It took a quick spell to melt down the bars into a delicious bowl of liquid chocolate, and once it was ready, she tested a strawberry in the chocolate dip and moaned in pleasure at the rich taste. She loved chocolate fondue. With a bowl of strawberries in one hand, and a bowl of melted chocolate in the other, she padded carefully back down the hall so she wouldn't spill any of the chocolate.

As she glanced down at the chocolate, it also occurred to her that it might be fun to pour a little onto Harry… and lick it off him. It might ruin some of her sheets, but she was willingly to sacrifice white sheets for a little chocolate dessert off her boyfriend. Her very attractive boyfriend, whom was really being filled out nicely by Auror training…

She had just turned into the bedroom when she found herself standing in a room of floating white candles, with rose pedals scattered across the carpet and across her bed sheets. Harry was gone, and so were his clothes, but that had barely registered in her mind when warm hands snaked around her middle.

She gasped, turning her head slowly to look back at Harry. He smiled at her, and then kissed her cheek.

"I almost beat you back here," he told her.

"Harry… what…" she could barely get the words out. Her throat felt as if there were a lump there, and the tears were already forming in her eyes.

"I think I like my idea a little better," he told her with a smile.

"And what's your idea?" She asked, her voice quivering as she moved her eyes around the room again. Harry stepped around her to face her.

They looked at each other a long time before his smiled widened and he began to sink down to one knee. A strangled sob burst from her throat as she clapped her hands to her face, willing herself not to cry through this. She'd never forget the expression on his face or the way he looked at her when he said:

"Marry me."


	4. Chapter 4: Harry

**Chapter 4**

A/N: I do not own the Harry Potter universe, nor do I take any credit for the work of JK Rowling. No money was made by the posting of this story.

Harry-

"I like this," Harry murmured to her, toying with the fabric of her negligee. He ran his fingers down her stomach and around to her hip. He really did love it on her… Ginny had obviously wanted to impress him tonight. Well, he was impressed.

"Thanks," she murmured softly, obviously she was pleased that he liked it.

They were lying on the couch, with Ginny lying half on Harry and also pressed between him and the couch cushion. Her head rested on his shoulder and he'd every so often press kisses to the top of her head as he played with the fabric of the negligee.

"It looks really good on you," he mused, his fingers travelling back up to the straps. He slowly pushed one strap off her shoulder and played with the skin there.

"I spent a long time trying to find one that you'd like."

He chuckled softly. "Did you? How nice of you."

Ginny smiled as she turned over on top of him, crawled up and kissed him deeply. Harry responded quickly, tangling one hand in her hair, and the other around her waist to pull her against him as close as was possible. A low moan escaped Harry as Ginny unbuttoned his shirt and slid her hands greedily up his chest.

Soon, clothes were being shrugged off, and Harry, not wanting to risk hurting her or knocking over the wine, scooped her up and carried her back into her bedroom. He kicked the door shut and dropped her onto the bed. Ginny giggled as he came back down on top of her, pushing her higher up on the mattress. Harry was intent on proving to her once and for all how strong his feelings were for her.

A little later, when the world came back into focus and their breathing slowed, they were wrapped up in both the sheets and each other's arms. Harry had set his glasses aside earlier, and while he couldn't see well without them, he wasn't in any hurry to grab them to put them back on. He was pretty sure that Ginny liked him better without the glasses.

Tonight though, Ginny pressed one final kiss to his lips before reaching across him to get his glasses for him. She slid them on his face helpfully and then slid back under the sheets to be close to him. Harry smiled as he adjusted them on his nose.

"Thanks," he said. He did like being able to see her… Especially like this: completely exposed, comfortable, and relaxed against him.

"It's sweet that you're willing to be blind just for me," she said teasingly.

She then pulled herself up to lay on top of him, resting her head on her folded arms to see him better.

"I should think about contacts…" he said thoughtfully, lifting his arms to encircle her waist.

Harry knew no better activity than to hold Ginny against him. She just felt … right, in his arms. No one else fit like she did into his embrace, like she was meant to be there forever.

"Maybe… but I'd love you either way." She kissed him again, though this time with a little more energy. Harry congratulated himself that he'd effectively calmed and reassured her.

"So this is my idea," she told him thoughtfully. "We need to get better at submitting our availabilities so that we can make time for each other. At least once a week… if I can even see you for an hour, I don't think I'd start going crazy again."

Harry nodded in agreement. Not that he wouldn't enjoy reassuring her , especially like this, but he liked it better when he knew that Ginny wasn't upset and out of his reach. "I like your idea… if we see each other a little more it'll take the edge off."

Ginny kissed him again. "It will. I'm sorry I've been a bit crazy. It's just that we've been together for almost two years… we need to see each other more if this is going to work out."

Harry kissed her gently, one hand slowly rubbing her back. "It will work out as long as we both want it too." Harry briefly wondered what he'd ever do if she didn't want this anymore. He doubted he'd cope very well…

"I know… it's just… hard to see yourself with someone in the future if you barely see them in the present."

The truth of her words stung. She had trouble seeing herself with him in the future? Understandable, sure… but how could she not see them together? Didn't she think like he did? Didn't she ever wonder what would happen if they got married? Had kids? Had a normal, happy life? Harry didn't know whether she did or not, or how much detail if she did, but still… Harry knew that if nothing else, his life goal was to give his own kids the family he never had. Well that, and to teach his son how to do a Wronski Feint one day…

He gently eased her up into a sitting position and touched her cheek gently, wishing that she would see it how he did. "If you only understood that leaving you isn't an option."

Ginny sighed at those words, though this seemed to make her happy. Apparently there was no persuasion needed here; just a bit of reassurance. Maybe she did imagine their future, but she was scared to, and just needed to hear that he wanted one with her too?

"Are you hungry?" She asked abruptly, looking suddenly excited.

"Yeah, I could eat something," he agreed. He made to get up as he asked, "Want some help?"

"No," she told him sweetly. "Just stay here, I'll be back in a second."

She was about to hop off the bed, but she paused, before leaning in to kiss him briefly. He smiled at her, watching her pull on her robe before leaving the bedroom. Harry listened to her footsteps down the hall before he jumped out of the bed, deciding he probably had about a minute to get this right.

He grabbed his wand, and quickly summoned a few of the candles from the living room into the bedroom. He transfigured a couple random objects into more candles and set them around the room before lighting them. He then turned to the bed and then used a quick spell to scatter red rose pedals across the sheets.

He then found his pants and shirt, but had to sneak past Ginny in the kitchen to fetch his jacket where he kept the ring. He ducked behind the door when she emerged and headed back into the bedroom with two bowls in her hand. He followed silently, wondering what she was planning.

He paused a few feet behind her and he heard her shocked intake of breath when she walked into the room. He wished he could see her face right now; it was really too bad that she had beat him back to the bedroom. He glanced down at the Tiffany's box and took a deep breath. He was more nervous than he'd thought he'd be.

He stepped up behind her and slowly wrapped his arms around her middle. She jumped slightly at the touch, but relaxed, or as relaxed as a person could possibly be at this kind of moment. She turned her head slightly to look back at him and he simply smiled at her, and then kissed her cheek affectionately.

"I almost beat you back here," he told her teasingly.

"Harry… what…" she could barely get the words out. He noticed that her eyes were overly bright, and she looked like she was about to cry.

His own heart was beating quickly in his chest, and he was only half sure he could do this without blurting it out and making it turn into slurred sentence.

"I think I like my idea a little better," he told her with a smile, reminding himself that this was Ginny. And she loved him. And that even if it didn't come out the first time, she wouldn't ever say no because he'd flubbed it.

"And what's your idea?" She asked in a quivering voice, her eyes sliding around the room again.

Knowing that this was his moment to move around to face her as he was supposed to be, Harry stepped around, and pulled her a few steps more into the center of the room. As he held her hand and looked at her, nothing else made more sense. He smiled at her, praying to God that she said yes, as he slowly sank down to one knee.

The minute he started to go down to his knee, a strangled cry burst from Ginny's lips and she dropped his hand to clap both of them to her mouth and face in shock. He looked up at her, took a deep breath, a smile splitting across his face as he said the two words he'd been playing in his head over and over for weeks on end.

"Marry me."

Another strangled cry burst from her throat and the tears burst from her eyes. Harry lifted the ring box up and presented her with the beautiful ring. She gasped, and between tears and the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face, she took his hand, clearly trying to stop crying enough to speak.

"I will never love anyone else as long as I live. There's no one else I could ever want as much as you. You're the most incredible woman I've ever known. And for all the waiting that I've done to find a place where I belong, with people who love me for me, I feel like it was worth waiting through just so I could end up with you in the end. Will you marry me?"

For one horrified second, he actually was scared that she was crying because the answer was no, but then she hastily wiped at her eyes, beaming from ear to ear as she nodded and managed to say, "Yes!"

Harry smiled, and took the ring from the box. He set it on the ground as Ginny held out her left hand, and he slid the ring onto her finger. He stood back up and immediately grabbed her and kissed her. Ginny kissed him back exuberantly, still half-crying. When he pulled back, she kissed again in two long kisses, before she again tried to wipe the tears away to get a better look at the ring.

"I love you so much," he told her, wiping her tears.

"I love you too, Harry" Ginny choked out, still smiling.

He held her as her tears subsided, probably ruining his shirt in the process but he couldn't care less. He was glad he hadn't waited any longer, or spent more time planning it. It had been the right time in the moment, and simply putting it together then and there had been perfect.

"Were you planning on this?" She asked ironically, her voice becoming more even.

Harry shook his head. "No… I just had the ring on me. I'm glad I did, though. I was already worried you wouldn't agree to marry me."

Ginny rolled her eyes and again wiped her cheeks. "Why or how could I ever say no to you? I've been in love with you since I was ten!" She chuckled at her own admission, and then hugged him tightly. "Ugh, I can't believe I was even worrying about anything. I feel so stupid," she added sadly.

Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It wasn't stupid. But now… we have a definite reason to be together way more often. I need to see my fiancée!" The word still felt strange on his tongue, but it sounded so good to hear.

Ginny took a deep breath and then smiled at him. "I think your idea was definitely better, Harry." She looked down again at her finger, admiring the ring. "This is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, by the way. I love it."

He smiled at her and pulled her back to the bed. "And you are the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing, special woman I've ever known, Ginny Weasley."

"I'm glad you feel that way," she said happily, back to looking at the ring. "I just… I can't believe I'm engaged to Harry Potter!"

"I'm a little scared to know what kind of proposal you expected of me when you were ten," he replied in a mocking voice. "Was I romantic enough?"

"More so," Ginny laughed. "And anyway, marrying the-boy-who-lived has kind of lost its appeal. I get to marry Harry Potter- the man I want to be with."

They kissed then, Harry sliding his arms around her affectionately. When she buried her face in his neck, Harry rubbed her back, thinking of what she'd just said.

"Gin, I hate to tell you, but Harry Potter is the-boy-who-lived."

Ginny rolled her eyes, and pulled back with a laugh. "Your terrible joke is ruining the romantic mood you've set up here, Harry. Do you really want to do that? I just agreed to marry you… but I could still turn you down."

He widened his eyes in mock-horror and pulled her down onto the mattress with him, rolling her under him. "You wouldn't dare," he gasped, kissing her as she struggled to get free of him. "Can we just go back to where you think I'm wonderful and romantic, and not trying to run away from your fiancé?"

"I suppose," Ginny begrudged teasingly.

"Good," he said happily. "Now… before it's too late, did you want to go see Ron and Hermione? Tell them the good news?"

"Yes!" They both stood up to change into their clothes. Ginny laughed suddenly as she pulled on a pair of jeans. "You can tell Ron! I'm not taking that."

"Here's the best part, I already told Ron!" Harry told her with a grin.

Ginny paused and then shook her head. "I really am the luckiest woman alive to be marrying you. You've thought of everything!"

"Taking care of your strange, overly protective brother? Yeah, I am pretty thoughtful…"

Ginny pulled on her shirt and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She paused in the bathroom doorway with a smile on her face. "Thanks, love. Now only four more overbearing brothers to go!"

She shut the door as Harry paused as that thought hit him. He chuckled under his breath at her comment, thankful that the Weasleys' liked him. Or at least… they liked him, and they liked him and Ginny as a couple, but he wasn't sure how they'd feel about him marrying Ginny.

Great, he thought amusedly. I get engaged, but I may not make it to my own wedding.

Ginny emerged from the bathroom and smiled at him. "Ready to go?"

"Gin, you'd protect me if one of your brothers tried to hurt me right?"

Ginny laughed at him as she moved closer to kiss him gently on the lips. "You're Harry Potter… you're not afraid of my brothers are you? With all the things you've done?"

"Voldemort wasn't a protective older brother," Harry muttered.

Ginny raised her eyebrows and then burst into laughter as she slid her hand into his and waved her free hand at the candles to extinguish them before they left. He squeezed her hand gently, his fingers toying with the ring now on her finger. Things were finally, finally working out for him. Harry didn't have a doubt that marrying Ginny was the best decision he'd ever made.


End file.
